


Hopeful/Fearful (Saudade)

by BornOfFire



Series: The Caged (Saudade AU Stories) [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: After Henry visits the studio there is another time skip, Alternate Universe, Because I don't know how to write him and I'm a bit nervous, Bendy will also be introduced later, Gen, Henry escapes before seeing the lower levels of the studio, Henry is a nice guy, Henry is more positive than negative, Hidden Power, I had to make up Henry's last name, Joey is introduced later as well but is mentioned a lot, Magic, Mysteries and Hidden secrets, Original characters are introduced a bit later, Saudade AU, Symbolism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2018-12-15 15:25:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 15,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11808792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BornOfFire/pseuds/BornOfFire
Summary: "People used to always tell me, to be hopeful in the future; and to live my life as best as I could, but it's not working out like I thought it would; and for the first time in my life.. I'm truly afraid.." -Henry Williams.Presenting the alternate universe:Saudade, By BornOfFire.Also this is my second attempt at fanfiction, so I'm sorry if it's not that good; and if it seems sort of stupid, so again I apologize.I recently made an Ask Blog for the characters of my AU, here's the link if anyone would like to ask them any questions. :Dhttps://www.tumblr.com/blog/askthesaudadecharactersbatimau





	1. Clara lux in obsuro

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of an AU I'm making called 'Saudade' which is a word that means: "The nostalgic feeling of longing for something or someone; who you have loved, but which is now lost."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name, is in **Latin**. I believe it translates to: " _Bright light in the darkness_ ".
> 
> Also this is an AU that I'm making, so I changed the beginning a bit; so he doesn't meet Bendy or fall down into the lower levels of the studio, at least not yet anyway.

When Henry stumbled upon the Ink Machine, he didn't know what to make of it; it was very odd, with a dark presence that seemed to surround it.

A normal person would probably think it would be best to ignore the strange contraption, and exit the building. Henry on the other hand, was intrigued.

He also noticed that the strange items he has been looking for, were already on the pedestals. As though they were trying to make the machine appear almost inviting and non-threatening.

' **Just turn it on**.' Said a small, nagging voice in the back of his mind.

He could feel his curiousity start to get the better of him; as he hesitantly began to activate the strange, ink machine.

It quickly began to make noises, similar to the sound made when an engine starts up. Whatever the machine was designed for, he didn't know; but it seemed to be working nonetheless.

He turned around to leave, since Joey never showed up; and despite his curiousity and interest, staying began to seem pointless.

Then suddenly, an unexpected light filled the room; blindingly bright and intense. He had to shut his eyes tight, to protect them.

His head began to spin, and his legs became wobbly; as this was happening, he could swear he could hear someone _laughing_.

He tried desperately to feel around for the door, but he ended up tripping in the process; hitting his head hard on the floor. 

As he slowly lost consciousness, he could still hear the strange; yet quiet laughter. Finally, his vision faded to black.


	2. Canus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry wakes up in the studio, to find that he's very much alive; but more alive than ever before.
> 
> Also the chapter name is a _Latin_ word, it has several different meanings; but in this case it's supposed to mean: " **grey-haired** ".

Henry woke up; to find that he was still in the room with the ink machine. He slowly tried to stand up, but failed when he began to feel a bizarre pain in his arms and legs.

He looked at them to see if he had sustained some kind of injury when he fell, but oddly he could find none; and almost as if his eyes were playing tricks on him, the skin on his arms and legs looked smooth.

 _Ageless_.

His breathing became slightly panicked as he tried to make sense of what was going on.

"Alright.. Calm down, this is just a bad dream; you're not at the studio, Joey never sent you a letter. There was no bright flash, and you didn't see that horrific corpse of Boris earlier.." He thought aloud to himself.

He started to laugh nervously, as he tried to calm himself down; but then he noticed the sound of his voice.

It was much _higher_ then it used to be.

This time he knew something wasn't right, he tried to stand up again and luckily no pain showed up; and began looking for a mirror.

After several long minutes of searching; he managed to find a small, dusty, hand mirror. Which must have been left here by Susie. 

He looked in the dusty, old mirror; to find that someone else was staring back at him.

A young man, about eighteen to twenty years old; with bright green eyes, red hair, with strange streaks of grey; and with a shocked, fearful expression.

He gasped and dropped the mirror, causing glass to scatter all over the floor.  
The young man in the mirror, was him; he knew it, but why? 

Why did he suddenly look so young again? Henry was fifty-five years old, but here he was; looking as though he was just in his late teens. 

With the exception of the odd, _grey_ streaks in his shiny red-hair.

He began to wonder if Joey had something to do with it, considering that there was a real (although **dead** ) cartoon; a couple rooms back.

"Joey, please if you're behind this; then you have a lot of explaining to do.." Said Henry.

He took one last look at the ink machine, and started walking down the hall; hoping to find an answer to whatever was happening in this place, and silently fearing of what was yet to come.


	3. Clara risu: futurorum spem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry escapes the studio, and reflects on his past; 
> 
> The chapter name, may translate to: " **Bright smile, hopeful future** " in Latin.

After awhile, Henry finally managed to find the exit; it happened to lock when he entered the building earlier, but by some miracle; he managed to find something large, and strong enough to break the door down.

He stepped outside, and felt a soft breeze. It was a warm summer day, all the flowers in the area were blooming; as though to welcome him into a new world.

It was like that when he arrived, but somehow; everything just seemed much more _beautiful_. 

Several birds chirped happily, and he heard rushing water nearby; after the building was neglected for quite some time, the area had become almost like a minuture forest.

He looked at his arm, and clenched his fist. He knew that he might have to come back to the studio eventually, since he never found Joey.

He wondered what happened to him, during the thirty years he'd been away. 

Before the war, they were practically inseparable; best of friends, at least until Henry was drafted.

Joey stayed behind, because he had been born unable to walk. Having to get around in a wheelchair all his life. Joey had always been a very sickly man, even more so when they were children. 

Henry began to think about the others as well, Wally, Sammy, Susie, Norman.

He wondered where there were and how they've been doing.

He took another look at the studio, which was basically a shell of it's former self; due to it's abandonment.

He sighed, and looked up towards the sky, which was filled with bright orange colours and grey clouds.

He started to feel as though, he shouldn't have left so soon; after seeing the ink machine, and that he should have continued looking for Joey.

Or for an explaination as to how he turned young again, and all the other creepy things within the studio.

For now however, he wondered what he was going to do; once he went home. 

The neighbors would find it strange to see a someone else enter his house, since he had no family; the only family he had was his wife Linda, but she died in a car crash two years earlier. 

He sat down on the grass, and stared at the sky for awhile; which remained as a stunning sunset, with his hair blowing slightly in the wind. 

He grinned, as he thought of the future; it seemed grim, but also exciting. He felt hopeful, he could feel his childish, optimistic personality coming back.

"I'll be back _Joey_ , I promise; but I think I want to enjoy being young again for awhile." He said, before standing up and walking away; into an exciting new world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is a really stupid story, I tend to rush things a lot without thinking of the consequences. I also really rushed this chapter, because I had inspiration and I wanted to write it down. I'm also still trying to figure out when to use certain grammar things; so as I said before I'm really sorry if this is a stupid story, and or chapter.


	4. Immortalem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since he left, he began to feel as though; someone or something was watching him, whether it is **good** or **evil** ; he had no clue. 
> 
> He doesn't really want to find out.

Ever since Henry left the studio; alive and unharmed, he's noticed _strange_ things beginning to happen.

For example:

One day when he was looking in the mirror; he saw that his hair was beginning to turn slightly more grey. Although everything else about his appearance stayed the same. 

Another time, when he was walking back home; in the evening. He began to feel a presence, as if someone was _watching_ him; but whenever he turned around, there was no one there. 

Every single day; he had experienced this, eventually it started to scare him. He started to avoid walking outside during the evening, and also tried dying his hair; to get rid of the grey colours. 

However, nothing worked. Everyday, of every month, of every year. The watchful, presence would fill him with fear; and the grey colours continued to overtake his shiny, red hair. 

The strangest thing of all though, was that years began to fly by; after he escaped the studio, yet he still looked about eighteen to twenty years old. 

He couldn't age anymore, he was stuck like this. 

Eventually, as time went on; he saw many new things happen: like the advancement of technology, human rights, transportation, and even animation.

He didn't mind living in the modern world though, it grew on him; but it pained him to think of his old friends, he assumed that they were most likely dead now; due to old age. 

Despite the many years that had past, he still felt like he was being watched; it would always send shivers down his spine. Yet he was starting to feel a bit more courageous as time passed 

Although, no matter how many times the watchful presence scared him. **Nothing** could be compared to this. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

One night in the year 2017, Henry had decided to go and get some hot-chocolate; and was walking back home from Starbucks. 

He was smiling cheerfully, as he walked on the sidewalk; there were no cars in sight, he started going down the crosswalk; since the streetlight was shining, with a bright green. 

Then out of nowhere, a car came speeding towards him. 

There was no time to react, except for gasping in shock; and bracing himself for the impact. 

Then everything began to turn _black_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name, is the _Latin_ word for " **Immortal** "
> 
> Also sorry I should have wrote this better, I had inspiration and just started writing without thinking; so I'm sorry if it's stupid. (chances are, I'm going to apologize on every chapter; I have an over-apologizing problem)
> 
> Also if you don't understand it too well, here is the basics:
> 
> •Henry somehow, gets turned young again after turning on the ink machine. So he now has the appearance of a young man, around eighteen to twenty years old; the only indication of his real age is the odd, grey streaks in his hair.
> 
> •Henry escapes before seeing the rest of the studio, so he hasn't seen Sammy yet, nor has he seen Bendy. (He will later though, I'm going to force him to go back to the studio again at one point, except he's not going to go in alone; he'll have two friends to help him. xD)
> 
> •After being turned young again, he's been unable to age. He's sort of immortal now; so he's able to live in the year 2017 and still look the same.


	5. Effugere morte mirabiliter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After almost being hit by a car, he makes a new friend.
> 
> Sorry if this is a very boring and stupid chapter; but the next ones will get a lot more interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is in _Latin_ , I believe it translates to: " **To escape death, miraculously** ".
> 
> Also sorry if the dialogue is a bit strange, I've never been too good at writing it; so I still need to improve on things like that.

"Hey.."

"Are you alright?"

"You have to wake up.."

"Please.."

"Open your eyes."

" **Wake up**."

\--------------------------------------------

Henry gasped, and opened his eyes; suddenly realizing that he didn't know where he was.

"Are you okay..?" Said a nearby voice. 

He turned towards it, and saw a girl standing over him; with a worried expression. 

"W-what happened?" He said, feeling a bit dazed and confused. His head ached, his back hurt bad from falling on hard concrete. 

The girl looked upset, and guilty. 

"My car went out of control, and I almost hit you; I'm so sorry!" Said the girl, completely shaken and tearful. 

He sat up, and looked over at her car; it had the lights still on, and the door was open.

"It's fine, I'm alright; I've had worse things happen to me anyway." He said, as he proceeded to stand up and dust himself off. 

"Are you sure?" She said, looking at him suspiciously. People aren't usually this calm about almost being run over, shouldn't he be yelling at her? 

"Yes, completely." He said with a laugh. 

"But you fainted before I hit you.." Said the girl. 

"I did?" Henry asked, without a trace of recollection. 

"You don't remember?" She asked. 

He couldn't really remember what had happened at all; except for buying the hot-chocolate from Starbucks, which sadly lay spilt all over the ground. 

"Nope, sorry." He said, with a smile; and laughed nervously. 

"Oh well; anyway, I'm really sorry for almost hitting you; my name is _Annette_ , by the way. Sorry I forgot to introduce myself." 

She raised her right hand out for him to shake, only to be surprised when he held out his left; causing them both to laugh. 

"Nice to meet you Annette. My name is Henry Williams."


	6. Manadh pàiste.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name, is in _Scottish Gaelic_ words; that I believe may mean:
> 
> " **Omen child**."
> 
> \--------------------------
> 
> After unintentionally making a new friend, Annette Martineau; thinks it's a good idea to drop by. 
> 
> Another Original Character, is going to be revealed in this chapter too; but be wary, he's quite.. _Unnerving_.
> 
> His name is.. **_Vincent._**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I'm sorry if this is a stupid story and or chapter.
> 
> This chapter is meant to introduce another character; and it may seem pointless, but I'm actually planning on making these charactors go with him the next time Henry goes to the studio; think of them like a team.
> 
> Also I rushed this chapter because I had inspiration, and I couldn't figure out what else to write at the end of this chapter; I'm sorry if it's stupid.
> 
> But on a lighter note! Try listening to creepy music box songs when it starts talking about the new character! It will add much more effect to the story. :D
> 
> (You don't have to though, but it was just a simple suggestion.)

After almost being hit by a car, Annette; decided to drive him home as an apology.

He refused originally, but she kept insisting.

Once he got home, he thanked her; and gave her a quick wave of goodbye.

Once he went inside; he immediately rushed to his bedroom, and tried to get some sleep. 

\---------------------------------------------

The next morning, after he made some breakfast (which was basically a ton of cupcakes); he quickly wrote in his notebook:

•Pay more attention to your surroundings at night.

•Remember to stop eating cupcakes all the time.

•Also don't cry over spilt hot-chocolate.

He looked over at his cup; wistfully, wishing that there was hot-chocolate in it; instead of coffee.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, he ran over to go answer it. 

As he opened the door, he was suprised to see that girl from yesterday; except this time she was holding a bouquet. 

"Um.. hello again! I just thought I'd bring these over as an apology; for last night." She said.

He looked at all the flowers, there were so many colours. 

"Thanks!" He said as he took the flowers. "Would you like to come in? I had cupcakes for breakfest, and I still have a ton of leftovers."

"Cupcakes for breakfast? Yikes.." She said holding back her laughter. "Let me guess, you eat ice-cream for lunch? And cake for dinner?" 

"Sometimes but not all the time." He said casually, as though he was't afraid of all the pounds he could gain.

She gave him a funny look, but accepted his offer; a cupcake or two couldn't hurt. 

They both walked into the living room, which had a minuture library, a ton of spotless antiques, and old photographs hung on the wall. 

She sat down on the velvet couch, and look at everything curiously. 

"So are you rich or something? Because this house is like a mansion." She asked. 

The house had four guest rooms, a dining room filled with silverware and a chandelier over the table, the front yard had a ton of blooming flowers, and some of the windows were made of stained glass.

Henry didn't know how to answer her question; so he tried making something up. 

"I uh.. Inherited this place from my grandfather, along with his money.." He replied, hesitantly.

"Hehe, wow; I wish I inherited a bunch of money, I mean how lucky are you?" She said, as she grabbed a cupcake from a tray on the coffee table. 

"Pretty lucky I guess.." He said. 

"So Annette, just a bit curious; but why were you driving so late last night?" Henry asked. 

She began to look a little uncomfortable, before answering: "I was driving home from work.. I had to stay there late to finish some paper work." 

"And I tell you, it's getting creepier everyday." She said. 

Henry was quickly reminded of his time working for Joey at the studio, before he was drafted. He shook the thoughts out of his head however, not wanting to think about it. 

"What's so creepy about your job?" Henry asked. 

He thought about how creepy the studio had gotten while he was away, and started feeling that; whatever was going on at her work, couldn't be as disturbing as his was. 

She looked even more uncomfortable now. 

"Well, okay I'll tell you but it's a bit of a long story." She said before putting her cupcake back the table. 

\-------------------------------------------

"Well basically, I'm trying to get a job as an elementary school teacher." 

"I'm not ready yet though, so I just help around the classrooms; and if kids need help with their assignments they can come to me." 

"But lately.. Something strange has been going on.." 

"You see, there's this boy; about eight years-old I think." 

"And he's always being picked on by the other children, but he never does anything about it." 

"He just quietly does his work, with an almost bored expression on his face." 

"He's not a bad student though, he gets the best grades in the class." 

"But this boy.. Gives off this grim, negative energy everytime he's around." 

"He also has an extremely rare eye colour, _violet_ to be exact; and dresses very formally for a child his age, and all the other children pick on him for that." 

"God, you should have seen all the _bruises_.." 

"Yet he just walks away with that bored expression, as though everything in this place is just some boring game; that he has to put up with." 

"But two days ago, something really weird happened.." 

"The school bell had rung, and everyone was leaving; but the boy just stared out the window, watching the others leave.." 

"I asked him why he was still here, but he didn't answer." 

"Except when he did this, the boy pointed to a girl nearby, who was walking with her friends; smiling and laughing." 

"The boy looked up at me; with a solemn expression in contrast to the bored look he always kept." 

" ** _Miss Annette, she's going to die.._**." He said quietly, in a slight British accent. 

"I asked him why he thought that but he couldn't give me an answer, as if he was scared to tell me the reason."

"I couldn't sleep that night, I kept thinking about what he said.." 

"And when I went back to the school the next morning, the girl wasn't at her desk; and then the principle walked in; and told us the horrifying news." 

"The little girl, I think her name was Cindy; she had been hit by a bus, on the way home yesterday." 

"Everyone in the class was shocked, and grief-stricken." 

"But the little boy with the violet eyes, just stared at her desk; with that same solemn expression." 

"School closed early that day, and when everyone else had left; he was once again still in the classroom." 

"But this time, he walked over to the girls desk; and pulled something out of his backpack, a single _white lily_." 

"He gently placed it on her desk, and then left without a word."

\--------------------------------------------- 

"If I knew who his parents were, I'd go and have a talk with them but.. He told me that he doesn't have any.." She said. 

' _And I thought the studio was creepy_..' Henry thought. 

"I don't think he meant any harm by telling me that, but there's something seriously not right with him.." She said grimly, she sat in silence for the next couple seconds; out of nervousness. 

Annette looked at the time on her watch, and then bolted into standing position. 

"Oh dang! I just remembered a ton of paper work I still need to do!" She said hurriedly. 

She quickly grabbed her unfinished cupcake from the coffee table, and headed for the door. 

"Sorry I gotta go, but thanks for the cupcakes; and sorry about that whole long story thing, I shouldn't have troubled you with that; but uh, here's my number! If you'd like to hang out and chat again." 

She hastily wrote it down on a piece of paper she pulled from her purse, and handed it to him. 

"Well, see ya!" She said as she left through the front door. 

"Bye, oh and thanks again for the flowers!" Said Henry with a smile. 

He shut the door and began to think about everything she just said.


	7. Memoriae, et somniorum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is in _Latin_ , I believe it may mean: " **Memories, and dreams** ".
> 
> Sorry I kind of rushed this again, since I had inspiration. My Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) makes it almost impossible for me to not rush things or think things through properly, so I'm sorry if it's not that good..

It was a beautiful, sunny day. Flowers bloomed all over the place, the trees were rustling in the breeze.

It was just so.. _Peaceful_.

Two young men were sitting on the grass, near a little pond; they were laughing, and smiling.

One of the young men, had medium-length brown hair; and hazel coloured eyes, he also had a wheelchair next to him.

The other, wore a pair of glasses; he had red hair, and stunning green eyes. He was skipping rocks while the other man watched.

After managing to skip a rock, all the way across the pond; the red-haired young man, jumped up.

" _Joey_ , did you see that?!" He said with an enormous grin. "It went all the way across; I think I just broke my record!"

"That's great _Henry_.." Said the brown-haired and hazel-eyed man. "I wish I could throw as good as you." 

"Nah, I probably just got lucky; hey, do you want to try?" Said the red-haired man.

"No, I'm fine; I think I'd just like to sit here for awhile.." Said Joey.

Henry stopped skipping rocks, and looked at his friend; Joey looked pretty down.

"Joey, are you okay?" Henry asked, feeling a bit concerned.

"No.. Not really, I mean; with the war going on, sooner or later someone we know is going to get drafted; doesn't matter if it's close-friends, family, or someone at the studio." Joey said, not making eye-contact. 

"It's just that, I don't want to lose anyone.. Especially you; what if you end up getting drafted, what if you die Henry? You're my best friend, I'm really scared.." 

Henry walked over to Joey, and put a his hand of his shoulder; to comfort him.

"Joey, don't worry about me, I'll be fine! I always have been; and if everyone at the studio ends up being drafted, I think they can handle it; well except Wally, I don't think he can handle that sort of thing." Henry said, causing Joey to giggle.

"Well.. I suppose you're right, everyone is pretty great; and I bet if Sammy were to get drafted, the enemy soldiers would be terrified." Joey said, causing them both to laugh. 

"Haha, you're totally right; Sammy is a great music director and all, but he's scary when he's mad." Said Henry.

"Yeah.. Though I'm not just worried about people getting drafted; I'm also worried about the studio, I mean; Bendy has gotten a lot of popularity over the last couple monthes, but.. It's still not as popular as some other cartoons; I'm just scared that all of our work will go to waste.." Joey said, gloomily.

"Joey, I told you not to worry about that! Do you honestly think people will stop watching the show after the war? I mean that doesn't even make sense; and even if the studio loses some workers, that doesn't mean the show will fall apart; besides they'll probably come back. Joey you just need to have more confidence in yourself." Henry said, giving his friend an encouraging smile.

"You're right, you always know what to say Henry.." Said Joey, with a small smile.

 _Where would I be without you_?

\---------------------------------------------

With a startled gasp, Henry bolted up-right in his bed.

' _That dream again_?' He thought to himself.


	8. Cumha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having a re-occurring dream, Henry decides to go for a walk with Annette to the aquarium; since she wanted to hang out, and wouldn't stop pestering him.
> 
> On the walk, Annette runs into a familiar face. Causing them to completely forget about going there.
> 
> Also I _really_ rushed this chapter, so once again; I'm sorry if it's not good; also I may have an over-apologizing problem.
> 
> Also sorry if the end isn't too good, I don't think I thought it through too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is in _Scottish Gaelic_ , I believe it may mean: " ** _Lament_** ".
> 
> Also I've decided that if a chapter centres around a certain character, then the chapter title will be in a different language.
> 
> For example:
> 
> The chapter names; with Henry, being the centre attention; will be written in _Latin_ (Because I think it is interesting xD)
> 
> The chapter names; that centre around Annette, will be written in _French_ ; since most of her family is from France.
> 
> The chapters that focus more on Vincent (AKA the little boy), will have their names written in _Scottish Gaelic_. (That's also a tiny hint to his origins.)

After that dream, Henry couldn't fall back asleep; he kept thinking about Joey, Sammy, Wally, and everyone else at the studio.

He was also noticing that with each passing day; the _grey-streaks_ in his hair were becoming more and more noticeable. 

He started to look online for anything to explain this, but the only thing he found was something called Waardenburg Syndrome; a condition that causes people's hair to turn grey or white, at a young age. 

Even though it couldn't explain why he turned young again; and why he can no longer age, he still decided that if anyone were to ask him why his hair looked like that; he'd tell them he had that condition, in order to avoid suspicion. 

After several more online searches (which eventually ended with him watching a ton of random cat videos), his phone began to ring.

He quickly answered it. 

" **Hello! It's me Annette; I gave you my number remember? Anyway want to go hang out? There's an awesome place I want you to see**." Said Annette, enthusiastically. 

" **Um..Okay, what place?** " He answered, with a bit of confusion. 

" **It's an aquarium, want to go see it?** " She asked, excitedly. 

" **Oh okay, I've never been to one before; sounds fun**." He said. 

" **YES! okay I'll meet you there, let me just tell you the directions**." She said, happily. 

........................................................

After Annette, gave him the directions; he stopped at a small park so they could meet up. 

Surprisingly the park was close to where Annette worked; so she arrived in no time. 

Annette quickly ran over to him, while he was watching several people; going about their business. As he watched he thought about his dream once again, and slowly began to fill with worry. 

"Hey Henry!" She said, startling him. 

"Woah! I didn't see you there; jeez you could have given me a heart-attack." He said after gasping, in shock by Annette. 

"Pfft, don't be silly; anyway you're like twenty, that's too young for a heart-attack" She said with a laugh.

"Y-yeah you're right; never mind then.." He said, nervously. 

After they walked for awhile; they stopped at a nearby flower garden. 

Annette, quickly grabbed a pink rose; and put it in her hair, Henry was about to tell her that it's probably against the law to pick them; but the damage was already done. 

"Hehe, how do I look?" She said with an attempt at a devilish grin, instead just looking very silly. 

Henry laughed at this, completely forgetting about the strange dream he had been worrying about. 

"H-hey! What are you laughing at!?" She said, as she adjusted the pink rose in her hair. 

"Nothing.. Let's just get back to walking." He said. 

"Oh alright fine, but only because I want to see the dolphin show; and we'll miss it if we don't hurry up." 

They both began walking once more, until Annette suddenly felt a small hand tugging at her sleeve, she looked over to see who it was.

It was a little boy about eight-years old, with black-hair, ghostly pale skin, and unusual violet eyes, he was wearing a very light green button-up shirt; with a black vest and shorts, which seemingly looked like overalls; but a lot more fancy and wealthy, and a red ribbon centred at the collar; the strangest thing though; is that he claims that he has no parents, except for his so called "legal guardian" who is never around; so she has no idea where he gets his expensive clothes from. 

She knew this boy, quite well; because when a classmate of his named Cindy was struck by a bus, he knew it was going to happen; even going as far as to put a white lily on her desk at school the next morning; which was overwhelmingly disturbing since a white lily is known to be death's flower. 

Despite his extravagant appearance, he has many cuts and bruises to his face and legs.

"Vinny? What are you doing here, shouldn't you be at school?" She said when the boy stopped tugging her sleeve. 

"I apologize, Miss Annette.. The other children were picking on me again." The little boy said, in a slight British accent. 

That was another strange thing about him, the way he spoke; it's just too advanced for someone so young. 

"Okay, look; I get that they're being mean to you, but you can't just run away from school like that." She said with an almost tired expression. 

The boy looked at Annette with a bored expression, before turning to look at Henry; he locked eyes with him, deep violet staring into a vibrant green. 

It was unsettling, Henry tried to stop making eye-contact, but the child was still watching him closely; as if he knew something. 

"Um, Henry? I'm really sorry but I have to go take Vinny back to school; I had a good time though, so I hope we can hang out again soon; hopefully we will actually see the aquarium next time." She said, giving him a small smile; which faded when she noticed the boy's staring. 

"Come on Vincent, lets go-" She said before being interrupted by the boy. 

"Excuse me, sir? My name is Vincent, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Said the boy, with his eyes still fixed on Henry. 

"Oh, uh.. Hi I'm Henry." Henry said, looking uncomfortable. 

"I just want you to know, that the next letter you receive.." 

" ** _Should not be opened under any circumstances_**..." The boy said, with a solemn expression; the same one he made before and after his classmate died, which to Annette; was a serious red flag. 

"O-okay that's enough, bye Henry I'll call you later or something; I don't know, okay let's go Vincent before you start making people uncomfortable." She said in a rush to leave, quickly grabbing the boy by the arm; causing him to shriek. 

" _DON'T TOUCH ME_!!!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs; causing her to let go in shock; and everyone in the area to stare in concern, including Henry who was feeling a mix of concern, shock, and _fear_.

The boy was shaking, his violet eyes were filled with horror; Henry could recognize this as a kind of panic attack, or possibly some kind of nervous breakdown. 

Henry assumed that the boy was suffering from Haphephobia, the fear of touching and or; being touched. 

People could only watch as Annette tried to calm the child down; but instead he took off in the opposite direction, which happened to be a small forest. 

To Annette's surprise; Henry chased after him, he wasn't going to let a kid get lost in the woods; especially if they're having a some sort of panic attack, it reminded him a bit of his fellow soldiers; while he was in the war, many of them suffered from " _shell shock_ " after that. 

' _Don't worry I'll help you, just hang in there_.' He thought as he ran into the woods, as the sky was beginning to darken.


	9. Vigilantes nominis umbra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name, is in _Latin_ ; I believe it may mean: " **Watching Shadows**."
> 
> Henry chases the boy down, and successfully finds him; but he ends up being more confused than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I rushed it; and I'm sorry.
> 
> Also like I said before, I'm planning on having the three of them enter the studio together; as a _team_. I just need to get some minor plot stuff out of the way; including things that help with understanding the characters. Then I'll get on with the actual entering the studio, together part.
> 
> Also please remember that this is an AU, so if this story seems a lot different from the actual game; it's because of that.

The sky continued to darken, as Henry chased after the boy; somehow he had gotten a lot faster after being turned young again, _faster than ever_.

It was fast to the point; where he had to be careful, otherwise he'd end up running head-first into a tree. 

His energy seemed almost limitless, if it weren't for the circumstances he was in; he'd be in a great mood. 

Eventually he decided to stop, and rest; so he could try calling the boy's name.

"V-Vincent!" He called out, hoping for an answer; but instead was greeted, by a ton of birds flying out from the trees.

"Please come out! The woods aren't safe for kids, Annette didn't mean to upset you!" He called out again, Henry may not know much about the little boy; but he could tell that there was way more to him than meets-the-eye, not just because of his strange behaviour.

He could sense something from him, right when they met; a deep _sadness_ and _emptiness_.

No child should be feeling that way.

"Won't your family be worried about you?" Said Henry, not knowing what else to say at this point.

" ** _No_**." Said a small voice.

Henry jumped in shock and almost screamed, he turned around to see who spoke.

To his surprise, and relief; the little boy was right behind him.

' _When did he get there_?!' Henry thought to himself.

"I don't have a family, sir; nor do I have any friends. There's no one left to miss me." 

"W-what..?" Said Henry, while trying to process this information; he didn't entirely believe Annette when she told him that the boy had no family.

"I don't blame the other children; for disliking me though, it's obvious why they think I'm odd.." He said, looking grim. "I've overheard some of the teachers talking; one of them called me a _devil-child_.." 

At the very moment he spoke those words, his eyes seemed to glow a lighter shade of violet. Henry decided, so he wouldn't be scared; that it was just a trick of the light.

"When the other children bully me, and hurt me; the only reason I don't fight back, is because I don't want to bear the guilt of whatever happens next." He said. 

Henry listened patiently, wondering where he was going with this.

"The point is, I'm not a normal child; the teachers know it, the children know it, Annette knows it." 

"I can do more than just _see_ things, Mr Williams."

"Also I must apologize for the event earlier, I did not mean to frighten anyone by running away; nor you, with my warning." The boy continued. 

"W-warning?" Henry asked, slightly afraid. 

"Yes.. You should remember not to open the next letter you receive; someone is watching you, at this very moment.. and I assure you; **_it_** means harm."

"I don't understand, who's watching me? How do you know all this stuff?" Henry asked, in confusion. 

"I told you, I can see things; and to answer your other question, I'm afraid I don't know.. All I'm aware of; is that someone is out to get you, and that you should avoid your letters at all costs." 

"But I believe this unknown assailant may be a former co-worker of yours." Said the little boy.

"W-what? No, that can't be right.." Said Henry, slowly as he tried to make sense of this. 

' _That's impossible it has been so many years, the others can't possibly still be alive; could they_..?' 

' _Wait.._ ' 

' _What about **Joey**..?_ ' 

Suddenly the air around them seemed to chill, as an unnatural wind blew through the trees. The darkening sky, causing several shadows; to grow _longer _.__

____

"Something wrong, Mr Williams? You seem troubled.." The boy said suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.

____

"I-I don't know what you're talking about.." Henry lied; and, deciding to change the subject. "Annette's probably really worried, let's just get out of here okay..?" 

____

The boy looked at him, with a bored expression. 

____

"Alright.." He said. 

____

They walked through the trails for awhile, in an attempt to erase boredom; Vincent started kicking several rocks in the path, while Henry stopped to clean his glasses; due to the sudden, chilly air, fogging them up. 

____

The boy stopped suddenly, to rummage through his pockets. He pulled out a small book; a _note book_ , he wrote several things down in it before slipping it back into his pocket.

____

"Um.. What are you writing?" Henry asked, feeling very curious. 

____

"I'm taking notes, I do that whenever something feels.. _off_."

____

"O-oh, okay.." Henry said, deciding not to question him further; the atmosphere was creepy enough already. 

____

\--------------------------------------------- 

____

Annette nearly jumped for joy, when she saw the two of them; emerge from the small forest, she ran towards them; with a huge smile on her face. 

____

"Thank goodness! I thought you both got lost in there." She let out a sigh of relief. "Henry, thanks so much for your help; I bet it wasn't easy, that forest may be small but it's common to get lost in it." 

____

Her happiness and relief, quickly turned into frustration and anger; after setting her eyes on the boy. 

____

"And _YOU_." She pointed at Vincent. "don't ever do that again! What would the principal think; if I lost one of the students, and your legal guardian would be furious! You weren't even supposed to be here in the first place!" 

____

He stared at the ground, and frowned. 

____

"The principle barely knows I exist, and my legal guardian is never around; he just leaves me a ton of money and then disappears without a word."

____

"Vincent, I like you; you're a good kid, but could you just act _normal_ for once! I don't have time to deal with you being mysterious right now!" Annette yelled in annoyance, causing several people to give her weird looks.

____

"You're only eight years-old, it's about time you act like it; I'm sorry but running off was the last straw-!" 

____

She stopped short, once she noticed the face he was making; ever since she met the little boy, he'd always make the same bored expression (except for the rare panic attacks); but for the first time, he looked _shocked_. 

____

"UGH! c'mon I'm taking you home!" She said, angrily; while grabbing him by his sleeve, instead of his hand. 

____

Henry just stood there, at a loss for words; as he watched Annette attempt to pull the boy away. 

____

\--------------------------------------------- 

____

Henry couldn't sleep that night, he kept thinking about what the boy was telling him earlier. 

____

He also thought about Joey, and how he sent the letter; to meet up with him, years ago when he visited the studio. 

____

" _You should avoid the next letter you receive; someone is watching you, at this very moment.. and I assure you; ** _it_** means harm."_

__

____

__

"None of this is making sense.." He thought aloud. 

__

____

__

' _But then again, being turned young again doesn't make much sense either_..'

__

____

__


	10. Beatus memorias

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another memory.
> 
> Also I rushed it again; and sorry I haven't updated in like a week, I got really sick with Pneumonia; and I still have it.
> 
> Also I have a bit of a writers block, since I get nervous very easily; and once again I'm sorry for rushing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is in _Latin_ , I believe it may mean: " ** _Happy memories_**."

A young man; with dark-brown hair, was sitting in a wheelchair. He was tapping on a nearby desk, nervously; while a young red-haired man was packing things into a suitcase.

"Y-you can't really go through with this, come on; please tell me this is some kind of joke!" Said the man in the wheelchair, with a pleading voice; and a scared expression.

The red-haired man simply picked up his suitcase, and walked towards the door; but stopped to face his friend.

"I'm sorry _Joey_ , I don't have a choice.." He said sadly.

"Y-yes you do _Henry_! You can.. Oh! You can fake an injury! Yeah, act like you broke your arm!" Said Joey, with a hopeful voice.

"I don't think it's that simple Joey.. Plus if the soldiers find out that I'm faking an injury, I could get in serious trouble. Besides.. I want to help people, and fighting might just make a difference." Said Henry.

"B-but aren't we already making a difference? I mean all the children watching _Bendy_ , during the war; is helping them feel better right? It'll take their minds off of the people they're worried about!" Said Joey, desperately.

"Look, I'm sorry; I've been drafted, there's nothing I can do about it; but the best thing to do right now.. Is to hope for the best." Henry said, while smiling sadly.

"Henry, I can't do this without you.. How am I supposed to make dreams come true without you! Please Henry, I'm begging you; just don't go!" Joey said, several tears began to stream down his face; making him look even more weak than before.

"Joey, for the last time; I'm sorry! Okay? I want to stay, but I can't! So instead of getting upset, could you at least wish me luck..?" Henry said, looking almost as upset as Joey now.

"F-fine, Good luck; Henry.." Said Joey.

Suddenly a nearby door, slammed open; revealing several people. Wally, Susie, and Sammy; entered the room, ready to bid Henry farewell. 

"Good luck Mister Henry! I'll be supporting you, every step of the way!" Said Wally, holding his wrench like a sword. 

"Thanks Wally!" Henry said before getting closer and whispering: "I hope you find your keys." 

"I'll try my best to find them, Henry." He whispered back, cheerfully. 

Susie walked over and and hugged Henry, after that; she gave him a small wrapped box. 

"Stay safe, okay Henry? Here's something to remember us by; just in case.." Said Susie, smiling sadly. 

Henry quickly opened the small present, and was surprised; to find a framed photograph of himself, standing happily with all of his friends; he remembered when that photo was taken. It was taken the day; Bendy's first episode aired on television. 

He smiled, and a tear rolled down his face. "Thanks everyone, this means a lot to me.." Said Henry.

Sammy was next to say goodbye, he walked over to Henry; and shook his hand. 

"Goodbye Henry, try not to get yourself killed; I don't want to be left alone with these idiots." Said Sammy, with a smug grin. 

"Pfft; I'll try my best, Sammy" Henry said, trying not to laugh. 

Henry glanced at a nearby clock, and realized he should have left already. 

"Oh, darn; I'm going to be late! I'm sorry everyone, but I'm going to miss the train; I better run!" Said Henry, in a hurry. 

As Henry ran out the door, his friends wished him luck one more time; while Joey watched with a darkened expression. 

Wally noticed that Joey, didn't seem like himself; he could sense a very grim feeling from him. 

"You alright Mister Drew?" Wally asked. 

"Hmm? Oh yes, sorry I was just thinking.. Anyway you all should probably get back to work, after all; the cartoon can't run itself." Said Joey, still staring at the spot Henry used to be standing in. 

"Oh right! Okay guys; Mister Drew says we should get back to work!" Wally shouted, to get everyone's attention. 

Soon they left the room one by one, leaving Joey all alone; he kept thinking about Henry, his best-friend; as a huge sense of dread was taking over him. 

" _He'll be back right_..?"


	11. Scriptum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A letter is found outside the door, just like the strange child said; but what could be scary about a letter?
> 
> \--------------------------
> 
> Also thanks everyone for the 351 hits! I know this story isn't too great but I'm glad that so many people decided to read it; and if you have any questions feel free to ask me! :)
> 
> This chapter, is where the story is going to get more interesting! I just hope my writing will get better so I can stop it from getting boring or confusing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is in _Latin_ , it has several different meanings; but in this case it's supposed to mean: " **Letter**."
> 
> Also I'm trying to experiment with different writing styles, because I realized that I really didn't like the way I wrote things; it will be hard for me to change it though. So if the writing seems odd, I apologize.
> 
> Also I wrote all this today without much planning, so I'm sorry if it's bad. I'll try and fix problems later today if I find any.
> 
> On the bright side though, I put a reference to a TV show in this chapter as a joke, I hope you can find it in the chapter. :)

_**Letters**_.

Why was it always letters?

First it started with the letter that told him he was being drafted.

Then it was the letter that invited him back to the studio.

Now there's _this_..

Another letter was on the door step, it looked normal; average, just like any other letter. Except this time.. it just felt _wrong_.

Just completely and utterly wrong.

Henry never forgot the child's warning about the letter, but; the whole situation seemed.. _ridiculous_. 

After all, the kid was only eight-years old; who seemed very 'troubled', not some sort of psychic. Right? 

Nonetheless, the letter continued to lay there; unopened. Except the longer Henry stared at it, the more he wanted to open it. 

"Maybe this is a different letter? I can't image where it could be from though.." He spoke aloud while unknowingly reaching for it. Something about that letter seemed.. entrancing, just as inviting as the ink machine did; when he turned it on. 

' _ **Come on, it's just a letter; you like letters don't you? Just open it and see what's inside**_.' One side of him laughed. 

' _I-I don't know.. this seems wrong_.' The other firmly disagreed. 

' _ **You are such a coward.. it's just a letter for goodness sake, OPEN IT!**_ Urged the one side. 

' _No, no I don't like this!_ ' 

As the mental argument was happening, Henry didn't realize that he was holding the letter in the palm of his hand; he had been staring obliviously at it for minutes. 

' _ **Oh please? Not even just a little rip off the edges?**_ ' The _darker_ side insisted. 

As though he was in a trance he began to slowly rip the edges. If the darker side could smile, it would be grinning. 

' _No-no! Stop this is wrong_!' The lighter side of him began to plead. 

Henry was seconds away from ripping the letter open, but he didn't know why he was doing this; time seemed to freeze and the voices in his mind became nothing but an annoying buzz, like the sound of static. 

' _ **You're almost there, any second now! JUST KEEP RIPPING IT!**_ ' 

Everything in the room was turning increasingly white; all he could focus on was that letter. If the house were to catch on fire, or if the world were about to end; it wouldn't matter. 

' _ **DO IT!**_ ' 

' _NEVER!_

Nothing mattered anymore. 

Except for opening that _letter_. 

' _ **DO IT NOW!!!!'**_

Suddenly Henry was on the ground, his back ached from landing on the hard-wood floor; and his head hurt like fire, snapping him out of the trance. 

The letter was lying open on the floor glowing, dark liquid began pouring out of it as though it were some kind of fountain. The liquid quickly crept onto the walls like spider webs and all the lights started flickering. 

Henry's head continued to pound painfully as he stared in horror, he couldn't move; paralyzed with fear. 

"What have I done!?" He tried to say, before all the lights exploded leaving him in darkness. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

_One week_. 

It had been one week since Annette last heard from her new friend Henry. 

They haven't spoken since the day at the forest, when that boy Vincent showed up; _seemingly_ out of nowhere, with another one of his so called 'warnings'. 

She understood why Henry never called her back, after all; a kid like Vincent could probably scare anyone away, not just because he caused a scene. It was his eerie warnings that usually did it. 

' _No wonder that kid has no friends_..' Annette harshly thought, as she walked towards Henry's house. 

She decided to go visit him, since he never returned her calls; although most people would probably give up being friends with people over that. 

Annette's been known to be a bit too friendly and charismatic, not really knowing when to 'take a hint' and go away; it has always been her greatest flaw. 

She peered into the windows, finding nothing but darkness on the other side. 

She began to feel an unpleasant feeling rush over her, something wasn't right here. 

Stepping towards the door and gripping the handle, caused the feeling of dread to grow increasingly worse. The door was unlocked, when houses are dark and the doors are unlocked; that's usually a _big_ red flag. 

"Oh no.." She whispered. Fearing that something horrible must have happened. 

She walked in, greeted immediately by the darkness she saw through the stained-glass window. 

" _Hey! Who turned out the lights_?" She blurted out, slapping her hands to her face seconds after.

Nothing but the sound of silence, it greeted her like an old friend, but as she stepped through the hall; she could hear the faint sound of something dripping somewhere. No, wait.. _everywhere_. 

She rummaged through her bag and grabbed a small flash light, she liked keeping it around for fun; this however, was serious. 

She turned it on and gasped. 

The walls.. the floors; the house looked as though it has been in some sort of storm. Black liquid oozed from the walls and seeped through the ceiling; messing up her curly white-blond hair. 

She didn't care though, instead she tried calling Henry on his phone; once again no answer but luckily she heard it ringing. 

She raced towards it while trying not to slip in the odd, dark liquid that filled the place. 

Finally in one of the rooms there was a small amount of light, shining as though it wanted to be found; the ringing was louder and she knew she found it. 

_Henry's cellphone_. 

It, like almost everything else in the house; was covered in that dark sticky water. On the floor next to Henry's phone was a trail of blood. 

_**Henry's blood**_. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

" _I just wanted you to know that the next letter you receive.. should not be opened under any circumstances._ " 

_Saudade.. isn't it such a strange word? A word that sounds so delicate and simple, it means: 'The nostalgic feeling of longing for someone or something, for which you have loved; but is now lost.'_

_Odd, how someone can take a word with so much emotion behind it; and turn it into something **evil..**_

_This was only the beginning_

_I just wish they listened to me.._


	12. Sanguis Veneficium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annette tries to save Henry from a monster. Henry ends up in the hospital, and he's not happy about it. Lol xD
> 
> I had no idea how to summarize this.
> 
> Also sorry I haven't updated this in a while, I get stressed easily. Plus my ADD makes it hard for me to remember things while I'm writing. So there are probably many problems with this chapter. Also I wrote this at maybe 1:00 AM so I'm very tired, the quality might not be good because of that; and it may make less sense.
> 
>  
> 
> I'll try to fix the problems though, if I find any.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is in _**Latin**_ , I believe it may mean: " _Blood Poisoning_."

Annette walked down the hall, following the trail of blood. 

' _Henry please be okay, please be okay_!' Picking up her pace, walking faster; until she heard something. A monstrous roar, coming from Henry's basement.

' _What the heck was that_!?'

Her fear was rising at an alarming rate. Not knowing whether to run or hide. She couldn't continue, not without a weapon at least. She locked all around the room, until she spotted something. 

An old gun case, it looked like ones she'd seen in war museums. On top of the case was a framed photograph. It was old and dusty, the picture showed a group of people together outside a building. There was one man who looked strikingly similar to _Henry_. 

She didn't have time to wonder about that now though, she needed to open that gun case and fast. It was hard to open, she almost had to pry it open. When she finally open the case, there was a gun with writing engraved into it. 

_Lewis automatic machine gun._

She figured it was the name for that type of gun. On the other side of it was more engraving, smaller this time. 

_H. C. Williams._

Annette became more and more confused. Why was there an old photograph of Henry? Why did this gun have his initials on it? None of this was making sense. 

Another bestial roar came from the basement. Making her forget what she was thinking about. She gripped the old Lewis gun and headed for the stairs. 

' _I'm coming Henry!_ ' The basement door was open; but forcibly, it looked as though something tried to rip it off its hinges

There was ink everywhere, more than there was upstairs; it stained her clothes, but she had bigger problems.

\--------------------------------------------- 

The basement was freezing, a sense of foreboding filled the place. Several things were broken, papers were scattered around the ink-soaked floor. she heard light breathing, and followed it. Whatever was down here must have caused a significant amount of damage. 

The breathing came from the far corner of the room. It was dark, and there was more blood here than anywhere else. There was a body slumped against the wall. 

**_Henry.._**

Annette immediately ran over to him. There were large rips in his sweater, revealing two long gashes; it looked as though something tried to maul him to death. There was blood running down his forehead, and his glasses were cracked. He was _barely_ breathing.

"H-Henry? Oh my god." She tried to shake him awake. "Henry wake up! Please wake up!" He still wouldn't wake, he's been injured too severely; she needed to get him to a hospital and fast. 

A monstrous roar filled the room again, Causing Annette to cover her ears. A large figure was walking towards them. It looked like it was made of ink! It dripped off of it, it didn't have a face; just a mouth, and two holes where it's eyes should be. 

This had to be a dream.. monsters aren't real. Whatever is destroying the house isn't real! 

Except this felt so vivid, so _real_.. 

This thing, no _abomination_. Tried to kill her friend, she couldn't believe it. 

Anger rose inside Annette, she gripped the gun and pointed it at the monster, which was coming closer. 

"Don't come any closer! G-get away!" She pulled the trigger firing bullets at lightning speed. She couldn't aim it properly though so the bullets kept missing their target.

The black beast attempted to swipe its claws at her, luckily she dodged it. Until it struck her arm. Annette screamed and fell to the floor, clumsily dropping the gun. The black beast, was towering before her, it may have only hit her once but it was still incredibly painful. She wasn't going to last much longer in this state. 

The creature prepared to strike her again, trying to deal the finishing blow; until something caught both of them off guard. 

The monster started to wail and scream, as _fire_ erupted around it. It hopelessly tried to battle the flames, only to end up melting into a puddle in the process. 

Henry was standing behind the flames, as they died out. He looked dazed, and was still bleeding heavily. He collapsed to the floor. 

"HENRY!" Annette ran over to him, and tried to help him up; she never noticed him get behind the creature. How did that monster catch on _fire_? 

Knowing a bit of first aid, Annette quickly searched for bandages; after setting Henry down on the couch in the living room. Annette knew she should call an ambulance, but she couldn't let him bleed out before they get here. 

Then again.. If she calls an ambulance, how is she going to explain what had happened? The whole situation is just too bizarre.

After she found the bandages, she went over to Henry and tried to put them on. The cuts looked too deep, he was definitely going to need stitches. Annette noticed him shivering as well, she put a hand on his forehead. 

He felt feverish. She ran over to the phone ultimately deciding that he definitely needed a hospital as soon as possible. Annette began to feel stabbing pains in her arm, and saw that it too was bleeding. In her rush to help Henry, she completely forgot about her own injury. She wrapped her arm up quickly. 

She began to dial 911 shortly after that. Until Henry spoke suddenly. "N-no don't. P-please." He was looked extremely pale from the blood loss. "A-Annette don't call an ambulance!" He looked terrified. 

"Henry; you've been bleeding out, you have a fever! If I don't get you to a hospital you could die! Is that what you want? Because I did not come here to have my friend get sliced open by some freaky monster!" 

' _What the heck even was that thing anyway? Why was there ink everywhere? Or maybe it wasn't ink.. either way nothing is making sense here_.'

' _And why the heck did it catch fire_?' 

"I-I can't go to the hospital!" Henry gave her a pleading look. His shivering was getting worse. 

"Henry you're not making sense. These bandages won't help forever; you need serious medical attention!" Annette tried to reason with him. Instead he started to look more upset. Was he afraid of doctors? Or was it because of something else?

"I _lied_ to you!" Henry interrupted, taking her by surprise. He looked guilty, like he had been struggling to tell her this. 

"I-I'm not who you think I am.."

"Henry I've only known you for about maybe two weeks? I don't know I have a bad sense of time; so what could you possibly be lying to me about?" Raising an eyebrow at him. "Besides we're friends right? Or maybe I rushed into this too quickly.." 

"No it's not that.. I just, well I mean.." Henry wouldn't look her in the eye, and kept fiddling with a small ring on his finger. "Oh forget it! You'd never believe me anyway!" 

Annette rolled her eyes at him. "Come on.. Just tell me, I won't make fun of you!"

"Annette if I tell you, you'll just think I'm crazy! Besides.. I've survived worse injuries than this." Henry looked completely serious, but there's no way he's had worse injuries before. After all he looked so young.. 

The more Annette thought about it, the stranger it seemed. There was that gun from _World War II_ with his initials on it.. Then there was that old and dusty _photograph_.

There were also those strange _grey_ streaks in his red hair. Annette thought he just dyed it or something, but now.. she wasn't so sure. 

"Henry.. how old did you say you were again?" Taking a small step forward, getting a better look at him. 

"I never said, and it doesn't matter." He looked at the ground solemnly. "I _stopped_ counting.." 

"I was hoping no one would ever find out about this.. or at least never begin to suspect it. Annette I'm so tired.. I've been around for so long." Staring off into space. His green eyes started to look almost lifeless as he spoke. 

"I should have died years ago, so many years ago.. why am I still here? I just don't get it.." Blood started leaking through his bandages, he didn't seem to notice it. "I used to be married too, but my wife died in a car accident.. I was there with her. I should have died in that crash.." 

Blood started running down his forehead again. Still oblivious to its presence. Henry was right about Annette not believing him, sure there is several things that could prove it; like his old gun and that photo, but it just didn't seem physically possible. People don't just stop aging. Maybe the blood-loss was getting to his head.

"Henry.. I think I should really call 911, you've lost too much blood already and it's leaking through the bandages; you might even have a concussion! Not to mention I think you're being a bit.. _delusional_." 

"I'm not being delusional! I'm telling the truth! W-why would I make something like that up-" Henry began coughing, very badly. More blood got on his sweater with every cough. 

' _He's dying_!'

"Heh.. maybe dying isn't that bad, I'll be able to see Linda again.. _everyone again_." His vision started to go black, drowning out all thought and sound. 

"H-Henry no wait! Keep your eyes open; Stay with me!" Annette shook him over and over trying to get him to at least look at her. He was so cold, but she could feel his heartbeat. What in the world is going on today? 

\--------------------------------------------- 

"Hmm.. Well the doctors are doing everything they can, Miss Martineau. Its just that.. we've never seen those kind of injuries before. What happened to you two?" Henry was in the emergency room, getting stitches. Annette needed stitches as well, but her injuries were less harmful. 

"I.. don't even know how to explain it.. all I know is that I went over to visit my friend Henry. When I got there his house was almost in ruins, and there was this thing.. _This monster_." 

"A monster? Are you sure that's what the attacker was? Monsters aren't real.. although now that I think about it, those claw marks don't seem to match any known animal; nor any weapon. How odd.. and; did any other unusual things happen Miss Martineau?" 

"Yes.. actually, right before that _thing_ tried to hit me again; it just burst into flames! I wasn't imagining it either I swear!" 

"Interesting.. I may need to get the police involved, have them do some investigating. In the meantime, try to keep an eye on your friend. He woke up serveral times, screaming about how he wasn't safe. Two doctors had to hold him down at one point; because he kept struggling. Poor young man.. well I better go check up on everthing, take care now." The nurse walked into a nearby room, leaving Annette alone with her thoughts.

The next morning, while Annette was sitting in her hospital bed; with her arm still badly hurt. The nurse came in again, with news. 

"Miss Martineau.. The doctors discovered something strange in Mr Williams blood stream, today and we're very confused as to how it got there." 

"What is it, is Henry okay?" 

The nurse had a worried, yet puzzled look on her face. "We don't know if he's going to be okay.. Not only is he suffering from his current injuries, but it seems that he is also battling a severe case of ink poisoning.." 

"Ink poisoning..? Is that fatal?" Fear was creeping up inside her. "Is he awake now at least? I want to talk to him."

"I'm sorry but he's not ready for anyone to visit. He's extremely ill, and we need to get rid of that poison; and his injuries are going to take a long time to heal. It's better to just wait and hope for the best." 

"The creature that attacked us.. it looked like it was made of ink." The nurse looked skeptical at that statement. 

"I suppose that could explain the poison.. I'm still finding this quite hard to believe however." The nurse left shortly after that. Once again leaving Annette, and allowing her to think; and worry on her own, for awhile. 

Was Henry really just being delusional? Or was he actually telling the truth.. the monster was real. What if Henry really had stopped aging; and was a lot older than he looked? 

If that was the case, then being afraid of hospitals make a lot of sense. After all they could figure it out somehow, in a couple different ways. It made her head hurt just thinking about it. Was that monster after Henry? 

_Is someone out to get him?_


	13. Minutiae.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry's still at the hospital, Annette tries to make him feel better.
> 
> By the way I wrote this really late, so I'm super tired. (It's my ADD's fault xD) The quality may not be that great. So I apologize for that. If I find any problems I'll try to fix them later, I'll probably go to sleep after posting this. 
> 
> Oh and please comment if you'd like to. I only monitor the comments because I get a bit scared, but nice comments will always be put up. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is of **_Latin_** origin. 
> 
> _**Minutiae**_ : " _The small, precise details that make one unique_."

Four days had passed since Henry ended up in the hospital, he seemed to be getting better.. _slowly_. 

He sat in a hospital bed with a blank expression. His head, arms, and chest were heavily bandaged. Avoiding unwanted attention, he'd sleep most of the time. The last thing Henry wanted was someone figuring out his secret. He already regrets telling Annette, but luckily she might not have believed him; or at least he hoped. 

He felt something touch his hand, Henry woke up after another couple hours of sleeping; To find Annette sleeping in a chair next to him, she had been holding his hand. ' _This is all my fault.. Annette I'm so sorry for causing you trouble. I didn't mean to drag you into this.._ ' 

His head hurt badly, and his eyesight was.. oddly _clear_? There was a small table next to the hospital bed, his glasses lay there; cracked and broken. His arm was still attached to the IV bag, so he wasn't getting out of here anytime soon. It also looked like his right arm was going to be in a sling for awhile. 

' _Good thing I'm left-handed_.' He smiled to himself slightly, people used to pick on him for that; luckily his parents were the supportive type. 

For the first time in days; Henry felt calm, and peaceful.. his eyelids grew heavy again, and decided to close his eyes for a bit. Before drifting off to sleep. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

Annette decided to visit him once the doctors had deemed it okay. Henry was lying on the bed, sleeping. His bandages were clean and bloodless. Annette noticed that the room looked rather.. empty. No one sent him flowers or any 'get well soon!' cards. 

Annette recieved flowers from the school she was working at, and cards from her friends and family. It made her happy but, seeing Henry with none made her heart break a bit. She was still sort of doubting the ' _I can't age_ ' thing. Surely someone would've wanted to see him.. right? 

He looked so lonely in here.. Annette decided to stay in the room with him, to keep him company. Henry was sleeping and breathing lightly, he looked so.. _weak_. Annette began to hold his hand, she was taken aback slightly; from how cold he was. 

Annette didn't let go though, someone had to keep him company; so it might as well be her.

\--------------------------------------------- 

A sweet smell filled the room as Henry woke up for the second time. It was a flowery scent, like lavender and roses.. Annette must have brought some over as a gift. He turned over to look at it, and sure enough; there was a vase filled with _flowers_. A box of _chocolates_ lay beside it. 

There was a sudden rush of emotion, Henry didn't know why but.. he had this horrible urge to just break down and _**cry**_. Small tears began to well up. Henry knew that despite his level-headedness and ability to stay calm in tough situations, he just couldn't be _strong_ all the time.. 

Annette came back into the room with some ginger ale, humming a song from _Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix_. She stopped once she heard Henry sobbing. 

"Henry you're awake! Hey..? Why are you crying?" Annette quickly put the ginger ales on the table with the flowers and chocolates. His eyes were red and puffy, Annette figured he must have been crying for several long minutes. 

"A-Annette.. I'm so stupid, I could've killed us both.. I knew I shouldn't have done it, opening that letter was a huge mistake! I-I don't know what came over me I swear! Oh god.. I'm so sorry.." 

"Henry please, it's fine! I'm not angry, just calm down okay?" The sobbing continued. Annette grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. "Henry look at me.. we're fine. We are _safe_.. you are _safe_!" 

"Annette.. you don't get it, someone sent that letter to me; hoping I would be _killed_. Someone is after me.. and I think I know who it is.." 

Henry felt a big amount of weight lifted as he began to explain _**everything**_. 

"Remember when I told you that I'm unable to age? Well.. I was being honest." 

She gave him a doubtful look, she let go of his hand and sat back in her chair. "Henry you know it doesn't make sense.. no one can stop aging no matter how much they want to." 

"I'm not lying I swear! I don't know how it happened but I went back to my old workplace, one day; and I turned some weird _machine_ on. The next thing I know, I'm lying on the floor! My skin looked ageless, my hair was red again! I look exactly the same from when I was just in my late-teens, except for the grey-streaks." Henry looked desperate for Annette to believe him. "I'm not crazy!" 

"Henry.. I-" Henry cut her off. "I'll prove it! Remember when you picked up that old gun in my basement? I used that during World War II! I bet you also saw that photo too, that was me in it; back in the late 1930's! The other people in the photo used to work with me at an old animation studio! I had to leave because I got drafted, I tried to come back after the war.. but everyone was gone. All my friends were _missing_!" 

Annette stayed silent. Confused yet intrigued, she let Henry continue with his explanation. 

"Eventually.. thirty years passed. I got a letter from one of the people I thought were missing.. it was my best friend; _Joey Drew_. He got angry when I was drafted. He became.. very **clingy**. He was bullied all the time because he couldn't walk, I'd always stick up for him. I guess that's why he wanted me to stay. After I got the letter, I couldn't just ignore it! I thought he was dead.. I had to back and find him." 

"The letter he sent me, said that he wanted to show me something back at our old workplace. When I got there.. Joey was no where to be found. The place looked abandoned. I turned some machine on and.. now I'm stuck like **this**." 

He gently grabbed a strand of grey hair and stared at it. "I literally can't age anymore.. I think Joey had something to do with it. He might even be the reason why everyone disappeared! Oh god.. Annette I have to go back and figure out what happened!" Henry tried to get out of bed, forgetting about the IV attached to his arm. He was still heavily bandaged. 

Annette pushed him back down, gently. "Henry even if everything you're talking about is true, you can't just go there now! Look at yourself, I don't mean to be rude.. Henry; but you're a complete mess! You're not even close to leaving the hospital, and I doubt the doctors will let you walk out of here." 

"But.. -oh alright, you have a point.." Henry lay back down on the bed, and closed his eyes. He felt very sickly and weak. After all, it's only been five days; who knows how long it will take to recover. 

A sudden pain rushed through him, he gasped. Coughing very hard, Henry covered his mouth with his unbandaged arm. He was coughing up _blood_. "HENRY! Oh my god!" 

Red liquid was getting all over the sheets. Annette immediately ran to get the doctors and nurses, while Henry fell unconscious once more. 

\---------------------------------------------

During the discussion between Henry and Annette. The heavily wrapped bandages around Henry's head, arms, and chest were slowly being stained with blood. Henry had been so upset, and determined to tell Annette the truth; that he hardly noticed his stitches coming undone. With poisoned wounds re-opening, he slipped back into the depths of his mind. 

Annette stayed by Henry, while the doctors fixed up his stitches. She knew that they'd only been friends for a short time, but Annette found herself in tears anyway. Henry was so _different_ from anyone she'd met, well other than _**Vinny**_. Not to mention she just hated seeing people get hurt, it was very emotionally painful for her to see people injured. The feeling for Annette was horribly _intense_. 

Once the room was empty, except for the two of them; Annette settled back into her chair. She attempted to calm herself down by listening to a song on her phone, while Henry lay silent in the hospital bed. 

Annette scrolled through her music until she stopped on a song titled: "Setsuna Plus" It was a song about healing people through music. Her favourite line from the song was: " _Medical in melody_." 

She paused for a moment, Annette had an idea; she quickly put her phone on a small table, taking her headphones out. After adjusting the volume, making sure it wasn't too loud; Annette finally pressed play. 

The song filled the room. It was pleasing, sort of like the way lavender was; it was soothing. Annette sighed, this song was great for calming her down. She quietly hoped that maybe it could help Henry somehow, but it's just a song after all. Still, Annette hoped that it would make him feel more at peace. While the doctors tried to find a strong enough antidote for the poison. 

' _Why do bad things always happen to good people_..' Annette wondered before she was overcome with exhaustion. She had been too worried about Henry; so she hasn't been sleeping very well. 

' _Please just get better soon_..'


	14. Mirificus Cursus Incipit.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once Henry is deemed well enough to leave the hospital, he makes a daring move towards the studio. Annette tries to stop him.
> 
> Sorry, I rushed this again. I'm beginning to think it's impossible for me not to rush things, because of my Attention Deficit Disorder.
> 
> If I find any problems I'll try to fix them later. I hope this chapter doesn't seem stupid. Again, I apologize for the rushing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is in _Latin_ , I believe it may mean: " _ **The Adventure Begins.**_."
> 
> Vincent, the odd little boy. Will be in the next chapter, and more. The next chapter is when the trio starts! :)

After a couple weeks of lying in a hospital bed. Henry's wounds began to heal unexpectedly quick, as though the recovery process doubled in speed. Yet the doctors were still unable to purge the poison, from his veins. 

If he began to heal quickly without trouble, then they assumed and hoped that the poison could (somehow) go away on its own. The second Henry was told he could leave, he wanted to jump for joy. 

Annette came by to drive him back to his house, she was thrilled to hear about his speedy recovery.

The two walked out of the building and headed towards Annette's car. "Henry, you don't know how relieved I was to hear them say you could go. I seriously thought you were dying!"

Henry gave her a smile and laugh. Making her smile too, he always had this smile that could light up a room. "Hey, I told you that I've survived worse! I bet you thought I was making that up." 

Henry grabbed some chocolate he had been saying out of his coat pocket, he bit into it; and made a sound of delight. "Henry I still don't believe that, I think all that time in the hospital messed with your head a bit." Annette jokingly bonked him on the head, Henry giggled and blushed; he felt like a little kid again! 

"So you think I'm crazy? Well I'll show you crazy!" Henry gave Annette his candies to hold onto, well he got into position. "Watch this!" 

Henry was in such a chipper and energetic mood, that he started doing backflips with great agility. Then he tried breakdancing and failed, but that didn't stop him. "Pfft Henry! What are you doing!" Annette started laughing very hard, as her friend kept doing silly stunts. 

Next he tried doing ballet, which he was even worse at; but he didn't care, he liked making people smile, he enjoyed seeing people happy and laughing. Which is one of the reasons he worked on the Bendy cartoon with Joey, he loved seeing the joy people got from watching it. 

Henry stopped suddenly as he thought about the studio, he remembered how he wanted to go back and find answers. "Henry why'd you stop? You okay?" Henry looked at her, and got up from the ground. "Sorry.. I just remembered something, I'm fine! Though there's something I need to do, something _important_.." 

"What could be more important then going back home? I was even brought a cake! Black Forest cake, your favourite!" Internal conflict now battled inside him, what should he do? Go home and eat some cake (which he really, really wants to do), or go back to his old workplace and find answers. 

Henry ultimately decided on the cake. "Yeah you're right I can't pass that up, let's go." They both got in the car and drove away. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

A single tear steamed down Henry's face, while Annette just laughed at him. "Henry I think you have a problem!" She laughed so hard it make her stomach hurt. 

"I'm sorry it's just so good, I can't help it!" They both started laughing. Henry wiped away a tear of joy, even one bite of that cake was amazing. Annette was glad to see him look so happy, the first few days in the hospital; Henry appeared to be near death. 

"Okay, now let's get serious for a minute." Annette stopped laughing, curious to hear what he was going to tell her. 

"I need to go back to my old workplace, Joey Drew Studios.." With an irritated look, Annette rolled her eyes. "Henry for the last time, you were being delusional! You lost a lot of blood, I'm pretty sure that a large amount of blood-loss can cause hallucinations." 

Henry had a serious look on his face. He put his plate of cake back on the coffee table, and sighed. "Annette I'm not making anything up, and if you don't believe me then fine.. I'll go there myself." He stood up and walked towards the door. 

"Henry wait! You can't go, you said it's abandoned! Old abandoned buildings are falling apart, they're dangerous!" She got up from the couch and followed him. 

"Look I'm sorry, but I need to do this.. I have to know why I'm like _this_!" Annette looked down at the floor, while Henry was filled with guilt. He shouldn't have yelled at her like that, when she was only trying to help. 

"I'm coming too." Annette looked at him with determined eyes, she grabbed Henry's hand and gripped it firmly; he had a shocked look on his face. "I'm not letting you go there alone! Someone has to stop you from making stupid decisions, and that will have to be me!" 

"Annette you don't have-" She shushed him up. "I do have to! I'm going whether you like it or not, so let's get this over with. Where's your old workplace? I can drive us there." 

Henry gave a small smile, attempting to cease the tension in the room. "You know what? I think I do want you to come, we could be like a team. I just need to get some supplies ready, I almost forgot! Stay right here I'll be right back."

\--------------------------------------------- 

Once Henry and Annette had everything packed up and ready, they made their way towards the studio. 

It was sunset when they arrived at their destination. A breeze was blowing through the trees, chilling the area. The ruins of Joey Drew Studios loomed before them, setting off a very grim atmosphere. 

Annette gripped her backpack tightly. "So this is the place?" Henry stated at the building, it filled him with dread and nostalgia. "Yep.. this is the place. I'll see if I can get that door open." 

Henry pulled on the door. It seemed to be locked. He tried his old key, which also failed.. the last time he was here he managed to open it. "What the heck? It's locked! My key isn't working." 

Annette rolled her eyes again. "Try breaking the door down, the wood looks pretty weak; a couple kicks should do it!" 

On cue Henry began to kick the door, it didn't move. Not even a little bit. "Here, I'll help. We'll do it together on the count of three." 

Henry stepped to the side so she could try, they both got into position. "Okay I'm ready." 

"One." 

The sun was going down, the wind was picking up speed. 

"Two." 

The forest began to grow unnaturally quiet. The only sound left was the wind blowing through leaves. 

"THREE!" 

They kicked down the door with heavy force, it crashed to the floor getting dust everywhere. The two looked at each other in nervousness, the building soon emanated a very sinister feeling. 

" _Alright.. Let's go_."


	15. Crescente Obscurior.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Annette enter the studio. The little boy named Vincent shows up out of nowhere.
> 
> The chapter name is in _Latin_ , I believe it may mean: " _ **Growing Darker**_."
> 
> Sorry I rushed this again, I'll try to fix any problems later if I find them.
> 
> Also I made an ask blog for the characters of my AU, if anyone would like to ask them some questions then please feel free to ask! :D
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/askthesaudadecharactersbatimau

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that it would be easier to write the trio as accidently meeting up.
> 
> This story will be sort of tied to Eccedentesiast, Henry and Annette run into the boy at the studio. Except this time Vincent didn't meet Bendy or Boris yet.

"Alright.. it's now or never." Henry muttered to himself, as the two of them explored the room. Things looked exactly the same as when he arrived the first time. 

A cardboard Bendy cut-out stood in the corner of the room, next to a hallway. Annette walked over to it, and stared at it as though transfixed. 

"Woah.. This is so cool! Henry look at it!" Henry rolled his eyes, he didn't need to look at it. After all he created the toon. Not that he didn't like it.. Bendy just brought bad memories back. 

"You know.. I actually created that character." Annette turned around and gave him a look that said 'really..' Henry only found it amusing. 

"Henry.. can you just quit it with that for awhile?" Henry walked towards the hall leaving Annette behind. "H-Hey where do you think you're going!" 

Pausing, no longer walking. He gave her a smile. "I'm going to find you some proof, then you'll believe me." 

"Urgh..! Okay, fine! Just don't go without me." Henry and Annette walked down the hall. Completely unaware of who they'd run into. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

"So this is what 'turned' you young again. Pfft you've got to be joking." 

Henry and Annette stood in front of the ink machine. "Yep, this is what did it, and I'm going to find out why." 

"Do you even hear how crazy you sound? You know that it's not physically possible right?-" Henry shushed her, stopping to listen. He heard something moving, they weren't alone. 

"Did you hear that?" Annette shook her head, she didn't hear anything. 

The room grew cold as an ominous figure was approaching from behind.. it slowly tapped them both on the shoulder. Henry and Annette both screamed in unison.

They turned around to find a small child behind them. _Vincent_.. That odd little boy, what is he doing here? 

"VINCENT!? What the heck?! What are you doing here!" Annette looked like she was going to explode, while the little boy smirked. "Hullo Miss Annette, and Mr Williams. I could ask you both the same question.." 

"No, no, no! You tell us first! You're not even supposed to me here!" 

The boy looked at the ground, avoiding eye-contact. "I was being bullied again.. So I ran off into the woods. I came across this old building and decided to look around, I was simply curious." 

Annette sighed "Okay that makes sense.. but I told you to stop running away! Going into the woods was bad enough the first time, you could've been hurt!"

"I'm fine Miss Annette.. by the way, what is this place?" He looked around, from poster to poster. "I assume this is some sort of.. old animation studio? How interesting.." Henry who had been silent for awhile, decided to speak up. "Well I guess we're a trio now." Annette scowled at him. "W-What?! Henry he can't come! If anything we should leave, I have to take him home!" 

"You're not the boss of me Miss Annette.. and you _never_ will be." The boy glared at her with his unsettling eyes. Fear crept up inside her. 

"Okay, okay, okay! Fine, he can come! Let's just get this little 'investigation' over with." Henry knew that it would be better if the child went home.. but something felt so off about the boy. Not like an evil feeling, more like he _knows_ something. 

Vincent ran over to Henry, and for the first time he saw the boy smile, brightly. "Thank you, I promise I won't get in the way, but first I want to make something straight. I may be only eight-years old.. but I've seen things that would make at least a _thousand_ men tremble." 

The boy stopped smiling, turning into an angry scowl. "I can sense something down here.. it's a malicious presence, more than one. Some of them are _screaming_.." 

"W-What?" Henry looked pale, and started to feel sick while Annette looked terrified. The boy was doing it again! That creepy, intense psychic 'thing'.

"But anyway.. Let's look around now, I'm curious to see what lies within this building.." The small boy walked towards one of the hallways, before turning around. "Well? Come along now." He gestured for them to follow. 

Henry and Annette looked at each other, both had very nervous expressions on their faces. Nonetheless they followed, despite what the boy said, they didn't think he could handle being in there alone. 

Henry wondered what the child meant by all that stuff he said. None of it made much sense except for when he spoke of how dangerous this place was. Henry could sense it too.


	16. Lux Armiger.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name is written in _Latin_ , I believe it may mean: " _ **Light Bearer**_."
> 
> I rushed this chapter, but I still tried to make it good! I'm sorry if it's stupid, I've never written anything with ink Sammy before so I'm sorry if he sounds really strange. (Then again, he's already pretty strange.) 
> 
> If I find any problems, I'll try to fix them later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone would like to ask the characters of the story some questions, here's the link to my ask blog. Anonymous asks are welcome. :)
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/askthesaudadecharactersbatimau

_**Crash.** _

"Augh!"

"Ouch!"

"Ow.. fie! That hurt.."

Henry, Annette, and Vincent were walking in one of the hallways when the floor gave way, luckily no bones were broken. Annette's head throbbed, wishing she brought some Tylenol. "Ugh what happened?" 

Vincent got up and started dusting himself off. "The floor gave way, remember Miss Annette?" Henry got up, it was a miracle that his limbs didn't break. Unfortunately his glasses weren't so lucky. Yet Henry's eyes strangely adjusted to the room. "I-I can see.. guys, my glasses _broke_ and I can see!" 

The small boy turned around in surprise, Vincent ran up to Henry eagerly. "Your eye-sight has gotten better? interesting! How did you do it?" 

"I don't know.. maybe the studio did it." Annette hadn't said anything in awhile, she was staring at something on the ground. 

"Hey guys? You might want to look at this.." Annette pointed at the ground they were standing on. The trio had fallen into the centre of a giant _pentagram_. Candles were lined up around it. The pentagram was drawn in _ink_. 

"Oh my god.." Henry looked at it with disbelief and dread. ' _Joey.. what the heck did you do_..?"

"Is this what I think it is?" Vincent recognized the symbol from a book he read once, he loved reading books on many different subjects; and he just so happened to be reading a book on cults not too long ago. He could sense a _dark energy_ coming from it. 

"It's.. a _pentagram_." Henry gestures for Annette and Vincent to get away from it. "Um let's get back to exploring, shall we?" Vincent wanted to change the subject, and get back on task. 

Annette and Henry agreed walking out of the room. Vincent followed behind. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

"W-What the?!" Henry found a wall with the words: ' _ **He will set us free**_.' Written on it. Ink dripped from the letters. Despite looking as though they've been written ages ago. ' _I wonder who wrote this.. and why_?' 

Annette was checking out another room, looking at some Bendy plushies along with some forgotten instruments; when she let out a loud _scream_. 

"Annette!" Henry ran into the room, Vincent was with her; hopefully neither of them were hurt. 

Annette was being cornered into a wall, with the small boy behind her. She stood in front to protect the child as a slimy, black, monster, was coming closer. 

"Henry, HELP!" Annette looked absolutely terrified, while the boy made a look of concern. Eyes darting between the searcher and Henry, as if he was wondering how this would play out. Henry noticed this, and gave the boy a confused look. Vincent nodded at him as though he were trying to say: ' _Don't just stand there, help us_!' 

Henry grabbed an axe that was laying on the floor, and ran towards it. Henry hadn't fought since the war-times, making his attack skills very rusty. The searcher tried to jump at him, only to be smashed in the process. 

Three more of those monsters showed up, Annette hid her face. She was too scared to watch. One of the searchers slashed his arm, making blood splatter to the floor. He winced. The searchers kept _coming_. 

Two of the searchers knocked him to the floor, _dropping_ his axe. "H-Henry!" All three monsters tried to hold him down. While one of them stopped, in an attempt to drown him with their ink. Henry's eyes burned, as he was being drenched by the searchers. Annette and Vincent could only watch in horror. 

Henry struggled to get free from their grasp, but was failing miserably. The ink was filling his lungs, and clouding his mind. He only came here for answers.. and he brought Annette here, and Vincent is only a child. Now they're in danger, and it's all _his_ fault.. 

He was sinking into darkness, he felt cold as ice. ' _N-Not like this.._ ' 

Vincent watched looking traumatized, he was going to watch someone die.. _**again**_. The boy was about to intervene, before the room lit up. 

The searchers had burst into _flames_. They wailed and screamed as the _fire_ devoured them whole, melting to the floor. Only a puddle remained. Henry was shivering on the floor, coughing hard. Trying desperately and painfully to get the ink out of his lungs. 

"HENRY!" Annette bolted towards him, Vincent came running as well. Annette had tears running down her face, while Vincent looked like he was going to be sick. Appearing much paler than usual.

Ink spilled onto the ground as he coughed, Annette was patting him on the back to comfort him. Vincent stared at the ground where the searchers had been. He had a suspicious feeling in his chest. It didn't take a genius to know that this particular fire wasn't normal.

"I-I think I'm okay.. God, that tastes awful..!" Henry wiped the ink off his mouth with his sleeve, Annette was too focused on Henry; to wonder where the fire had came from, nor did Henry realize what he did. "W-What were those _things_?!"

"I-I don't know!" He started coughing violently again. "I've never seen them before in my life!" As Annette tried to make sure Henry was okay, Vincent continued to stare at the puddles. Overwhelmed with _guilt_. Someone almost died.. and he just watched like a coward! The boy knew he could've been able to do something to help, but he was just too scared! Every time Vincent tries to help people.. they end up being frightened away.

Then again.. if Henry was able to make those monsters catch on fire, out of nowhere. Then maybe.. just maybe, he won't be afraid of him. 

Henry tried to assure the both of them that he was okay. However someone was _watching_ them.. a smile crept onto their face. A man once known as _Sammy Lawrence_. Was gazing at the trio, in the shadows. Wearing his mask proudly, like always. 

" _It looks like a flock of sheep has entered my **lord's** domain. Perfect, three sacrifices should be more than pleasing to my **saviour**_.."


	17. Sanguine Luxuriae.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter name is in _Latin_ , it may mean: " _ **Bloodlust**_."
> 
> Sorry if this chapter isn't good, I panicked and rushed it. I'm not used to writing Sammy and it made me a little uncomfortable..
> 
> I promise that if I find any problems, I will fix them later.
> 
> Actually I might delete this chapter I don't know.. if you guys like it then I'll keep it, but if not I'll just delete it and start the chapter over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the link to my ask blog if anyone wants to check it out.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/askthesaudadecharactersbatimau

A boy stood in the music room, examining the instruments. Some of them had several small ink stains, while others looked completely normal. Finding them very intriguing. Henry and Annette were close by, examining some of the tapes left behind.

"So these tapes were supposedly left behind by your ' _coworkers_ '?" Annette asked in an almost sarcastic voice. Henry nodded, while looking at some other trinkets left lying around. 

The young man wasn't sure why Sammy _left_ his tapes behind. After all, Sammy was known to be a very organized man. Who hated even the slightest change in his atmosphere. So it was eerie to find it on the table gathering dust. 

Vincent went back into the room with a bored look on his face. "What are you two doing? I was checking out the instruments.." 

Henry looked at the small boy, showing him the recorded message left behind by Sammy Lawrence. "Well, Annette and I found some old messages behind.. here, you can listen to them if you want." 

He handed them to the child. Walking towards another doorway, he had an odd feeling that something strange was about to happen. "I'm just going to look over here a bit.. Annette, watch Vinny while I'm gone please." 

Annette nodded and pressed the play button on the recorded message. The voice of Sammy Lawrence filled the room as Henry walked back into the halls, with a darkened expression on his face. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

A young man walked through the halls. Thoughts of death slowly filling his mind. It was clear to him now.. something did happen to his old friends, and whatever it was.. definitely wasn't good. 

Two searchers appeared in front of him. Eager to to kill him. He gripped an axe, that he found earlier and cut the monsters down with a single swing. Ink splattered on the walls as though it were blood. 

Henry continued on. He heard a sudden voice.. before being hit hard on the of the head. 

" _ **Rest your head, it's time for bed**_.." Someone was watching him through the darkness the entire time. Waiting for a chance to capture its prey. Henry's vision was fading as he was being dragged away. By a man who used to be his friend, driven mad by corruption. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

Annette and Vincent were sitting on the floor in the music room. The small boy was humming a tune, while the young lady kept glancing at the door every now and then. 

"I think we should go look for Henry, it's been about twenty minutes and he hasn't come back yet.. I'm getting worried." Vincent looked over at Annette, he nodded before standing up. 

"Alright, I hope he hasn't gotten into any trouble." The boy said, as the two of them walked down the hall. Looking for Henry. 

\--------------------------------------------- 

Henry woke up with a pained gasp, His head ached. Ropes were tied around his hands behind a wooden beam. Henry looked down to see that he was sitting in the middle of a pentagram, candles circled around it.

"Hello little sheep.. did you sleep well?" Henry quickly turned his head around to see a man standing in the dark. He looked to be covered in the black liquid that flowed through out the building.. or perhaps he was made of it? Along with a _mask_ of the cartoon character Bendy, and white suspenders. 

Henry couldn't respond. He was absolutely terrified of the man standing near him, but what scared him most.. was the fact the the man sounded almost just like Sammy Lawrence from the messages.. 

"You've been avoiding this place for quite some time.. my saviour will be most pleased to see you again.." Henry didn't understand what he was talking about, none of this was making sense. 

The corrupted man slowly walked towards him. Making ink drip step by step. He held a knife, gripping it firmly. "S-Sammy..?" 

The former music director paused for a moment upon hearing his name, he was thinking.. "He is no more.. I am the ink demon's prophet, and I intend to please him.." 

"S-Sammy put the knife down.. I-I need to get you some help, just please untie me..!" Henry didn't have time to ask the crazed man about what had happened to him, and why he's still alive. Right now Sammy was approaching him with a knife, obviously meant to cause him harm. Henry needed to snap him out of the trance he seemed to be in. 

"I cannot let you go.. that's not what the _**ink demon**_ wants. Now silence.. I must prepare you for my saviour." The ink covered man. Stepped closer and closer, letting out a laugh. 

"N-No.. no, Sammy please.. d-don't do this-!" Henry screamed as his old friend began to cut him, his arms were slowly sliced open. Letting blood drip onto the pentagram. 

The candles began to glow brighter, as the pentagram began to turn an unnatural bright red. Out of the corner of Henry's eye, he could see a trail of ink slowly moving towards him. Henry didn't want it to come any closer.. "W-Why are you doing this..!" 

Sammy doesn't answer. The trails of ink start moving faster. Henry didn't know what would happen if it touched him, would it corrupt him into something like Sammy? Or a mindless searcher.. or something else entirely? He didn't want to know. 

Henry started to feel _rage_. Complete and utter rage, as the seemingly dorment poison in his veins started to gain much more _potency_. The candles in the room started to blaze, one of them close enough to burn the ropes.. yet it didn't hurt him in the slightest. The fire made the ink that tried to surround him _retreat_. 

Several searchers appeared. Trying to stop Henry from escaping, until he melted them with flames. He ran towards the doors, sprinting through the halls. Leaving Sammy alone, shouting for Henry to come back. 

' _What in the world happened to Sammy, and what the heck was he trying to do to me_?!' His arms were still cut from the knife. Henry had to find a first aid kit.

He raced to go find Annette and Vincent. They were probably worried about him.. 

Henry started picking up his pace. Before feeling a _pain_ in his chest, he doubled over in coughing fit. Henry covered his mouth with his sleeve as he began to cough harder. 

When he moved his arm away. He noticed it was covered in _**ink**_.. 

' _Oh god no_..' 

Henry's heart started to hurt a bit, the pain in his chest was growing. As the _ink poisoning_ continued to flow. He forgot that the doctors couldn't seem to cure it.. 

Henry needed to find some kind of antidote, and _fast_.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [To Be Forever Young](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12683835) by [MsFaust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/pseuds/MsFaust)
  * [The Young and the Deathless](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14280120) by [MsFaust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/pseuds/MsFaust)
  * [Drabbles Born From Wisdom And Fire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16859269) by [Circus_Craze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Circus_Craze/pseuds/Circus_Craze)
  * [Saudade AU Stories](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16860106) by [phantomthief_fee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee)




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